Gioia’s Rec:
Jocemum and her daughter, Jocelyn, are two of the most talented writers in the Harry Potter fandom. I first discovered them when they were co-writing the fantastic post-OotP fic, “Harry Potter and the Battle of Wills,” in 2004, and instantly fell in love with their adventurous yet character-driven story. “1,001 Nights” is another example of this exciting writing style. Jocemum’s fic kept me on the edge of my seat with the dramatic tension, though it didn’t detract at all from the inner monologue of a thoughtful Hermione as she attempts a desperate gambit in a bid to save her life.

Another thing I admire about this story is the way that Hermione’s interactions with Snape make sense in a way that the SS/HG ship often doesn’t, in all honesty. In my personal experience, I’ve found too many fics in that ship which are so caught up in the romanticism of a Heathcliff-like, broody man paired with an unappreciated, bookish girl, that the plots overlook the improbabilities of such a pairing. This story manages to overcome those obstacles in a way that feels very natural.

Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Jocemum’s SS/HG fics is the fact that she doesn’t disdain Harry. Although I love Hermione-centric stories, I’ve found that many of those, particularly the ones with unconventional pairings, often depict Harry and Ron as moronic brain-leeches who use and discard Hermione quite easily. Jocemum writes Harry and Ron as J.K. Rowling did – as flawed but sincere teenage boys who care about their friend, even if they are often as clueless as their gender typically is, especially at that age.

But as much as I’m a fan of Jocemum’s love for Harry, it doesn’t particularly come into play in this story, where the focus is on Hermione, alone in a den of snakes, during a critical time of the war. Just try reading it and see if you aren’t sucked in by the creepy atmosphere and realistic, tangible sense of fear in the air, beginning with the first paragraphs. It’s fantastic!